


Daily Lives of the Heoi Crew

by VioletAmet



Series: Capricious [10]
Category: Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon-Typical Violence, Cigarettes, F/M, Kissing, Mentions of Cancer, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletAmet/pseuds/VioletAmet
Summary: A collection of short stories, of the lovely Dowager Empress residents.
Relationships: Protagonist/Racter (Shadowrun: Hong Kong)
Series: Capricious [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1115949
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Anxiety over Health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Insert that one "I bet you thought you saw the last of me," gif here. I don't how Ao3 feels about that sort of thing.]  
> ANYWAYS, hey. How u doin? I miss Ao3, since I've been posting most of my recent stuff on Tumblr instead, but since I can't trust any website, I might post most of my stories here too. It's gonna be... a lot, so yeah. Hope y'all enjoy. Take care dudes! <3

“Ah, my friend, wel-” Capricious quickly interrupted Racter mid-sentence with a pull of his collar to plant a kiss. Though this made Koschei extremely agitated, the rigger raised one hand towards the drone while using the other to cup the cheek of his excited leader. Once she parted to breathe, she tried to kiss him again, only to be denied as Racter pulled away from her. “Are you well?” he asked.

She pursed her lips, hesitated to answer, but then took in a deep breath while pressing her forehead against his chest. “I was feeling lonely again...” she sighed, “and scared... I guess.”

Racter simply nodded as he guided Capricious to her stool that Koschei pushed out from underneath his desk. He then sat down on his and pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, which got a look from the decker.

“Aren't you worried about your health?” she asked.

He blinked. “I have no reason to be,” he replied, then noticed the warning sign on the top of the box, about how it causes cancer. “But now I know why you are.”

Capricious forced out a huff. “You already know what triggers me, and why it does. Especially when I see everyday things that are for natural causes, but to me, it's not natural anymore. It only reminds me of something that I had suffered...” She cleared her throat before she looked down at Koschei with a small smile. “And with that scarred into my brain, I can't help but wonder about you. You work with chemicals, machinery, and smoke, that isn't just cigarettes. You are also quite old too,” Racter blinked as she continued, “so I'm surprised you are still healthy. You even got perfectly straight and white teeth! How?!”

The rigger took in a deep breath of smoke. “If I had told you my teeth are fake,” he started, letting out a cloud of smoke, “would you still kiss me unprompted, my friend?”

Capricious paused and made a face of disgust. “As long as they don't fall out...”

Racter let out a low chuckle. “Interesting. But, that aside, I think I can understand why you're worried for me and my health. It's true that my work can cause some serious health hazards, but I always make sure to keep it ventilated, despite how cramped it is. I made this entire basement suitable for my needs, so I know what it is that I should and should not do. Besides, I could find some sort of implant to help fight off diseases... which now makes me wonder if you're willing to try it yourself?”

She gave him a slight frown and a shake of her head. “Not anytime soon, Racter. Besides, we're not talking about my body.”

“Right, pardon me.” He took in another puff of smoke, then blew it out from the corners of his lips. “Anyway, I know how to take care of myself, so you shouldn't worry about me. If you wish to make sure that I will stay as healthy as possible, then maybe you could help me cook some dishes that cost quite a bit of nuyen, due to how uncommon some of the ingredients are here in Heoi.”

“Help you cook?” she asked with a raised brow. “I can do that. But um... may I ask you something else?”

“As long as it doesn't concern my health, which I promise you, is in good condition.”

“Sure, Racter. Um... are your teeth really real?”

Koschei chirped as the rigger let out a snort. “You can check for yourself, if you'd like.” He then grinned at her to reveal his perfectly white teeth.

Capricious nearly rose her chromed hand up to his mouth, shortly before having second thoughts and retreated it. “You were going to bite me,” she said.

Racter chuckled and shrugged. “You only assume so, my friend.” He then took another drag of the cigarette. “But, just so I know, are you going to worry about my health from now on, my friend?”

“Yes, so get used to me nagging at you about that,” she jests, then gives him a wide grin in return.


	2. Bickering

In the middle of the siblings bickering over who gets to cook food at night, Racter approached Capricious to give her a gentle kiss on her cheek, enraging Duncan almost immediately. The Russian wasted no time to leave the ship with a smile and a wave. “Once you make up your minds, I’ll be back,” he said as he left with his drone close behind.

“Oh, mother-! I’m going to kill him,” Duncan growled as he picked up a towel to wash his sister’s cheek.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t, Duncan,” Capricious replied with a bashful grin. “And besides, that’s tame compared to-” “Shut the hell up, Carmen, or else I’ll throw you overboard.”

She giggled and shrugged.


	3. Hold On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Blood, Violence, Near Death Experience.

Capricious spat out blood from her bloodied mouth, as she struggled to get on to her feet, only to collapse. Her entire body burned from head to toe, and her legs felt numb from running so much for so long. She had no more bullets to reload her weapons, and she could not swing her cybernetic arm without wincing in pain.

This should have been a milk run, but something went wrong along the line. Some sort of slip up, that turned the entire job upside down. Where are the others? Are they safe?

Is Duncan safe?

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her broken lip to stop herself from crying and turned to face the enemy that walked up to her with a shotgun in hand.

_ “I’m sorry, Duncan,”  _ she thought as she shut her eyes.  _ “I’m sorry I failed you…” _

Then the sound of a shotgun going off rang into her ears, and a body fell. Capricious opened one eye slowly to see the person had been blown back quite a distance, and smiled. “Duncan!” she yelled as she turned around, expecting to see her brother, only to nearly butt her head against a metal body.

A metal body with five red glowing eyes that stared back at her. She blinked then looked up at Racter with widened eyes. “Are you so injured that you’d thought my metal companion is your brother, my friend?” he quipped as he knelt beside her.

“Uh… No…” she replied, almost bashfully. “Sorry…”

He huffed a laugh as he brought up his bracer to examine her, and took note of her injuries. “Well, considering the state you’re in, it’s no surprise that you’re confused.”

Koschei retreated his limbs into himself so Racter could take a first aid kit stored in his compartment once he sat before Capricious. The rigger could only take care of some of the non-fatal injuries, enough to help the unfortunate leader up on her feet, then hold her up as gently as possible to leave the room.

Capricious took one last look of the body of her enemy to see that their chest was blown to shreds. She then turned towards Koschei. “Good job, boy,” she praised him.

Koschei replied with a chirp, while Racter let out a sigh. “I suppose he is,” he said reluctantly, making her smile.

As soon as they were reunited with Duncan and Is0bel, Capricious wanted to let go of Racter to jump into her brother’s arms, but she didn’t want to reopen her wounds.

But Duncan knew all too well that Capricious wanted to hold onto him, from the way her eyes shimmered as soon as she saw him. The ork scratched the back of his neck as he walked up to them, then picked up his sister. “Thanks… I guess,” he said to Racter, then turned away while cradling his sister. “I’m here, Cap, as usual.”

“Thanks, Duncan,” she replied, her voice breaking as she was unable to keep her emotions down anymore. Tears streamed down her face once she pressed her face against his torso. “I’m sorry…”

He could only grunt, which was enough for her.


	4. Kisses and Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Risque, Suggestive.

Even though he seemed average built, Capricious noticed that Racter’s shirt was quite big on her thin body. It felt oddly comfortable, despite the scent of cigarette smoke and burnt steel clung onto it. “How does it feel, my friend?” the owner himself asked with a smirk.

“It’s nice,” she purred as she fondled with the buttons. “I hope you don’t mind me wearing it tonight.”

He chuckled briefly as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. “I have plenty of shirts like this, but if you want it, you will have to pay me for it.”

Capricious pouted. “But I like it... It smells like you, you know...”

“I’d assumed so, given that I wear it often. Besides, I thought you dislike the smell of smoke, my friend.”

“Well, yeah I do, but... it feels as if you’re holding me...”

Racter raised a brow. “Are you touched starved?”

She paused as she gently pulled the sleeves that covered her hands. “I guess... I mean, I didn’t mind it when you grabbed my shoulders to point something out to me, like when you joked about ‘tussling chairs’ some time ago. But, that was when we were just friends, you know? It’s different now, when you hold me close. I feel... happy, in a way.”

Racter sighed while Koschei gently nudged Capricious towards him from behind. “Come here, my friend.”

Her cheeks flared up as she sat on his lap, then gasped when he wrapped his arms around her waist to press her body against his. “Does this really make you happy?”

“Uh, yeah! Yes...!” She replied, hesitant to embrace him in return. “Um... Sorry, I’m not... used to you initiating a hug... but, I like it. Thank you...”

“Good.” He planted a kiss on her neck, making her yelp and shudder, making him laugh. “I have to admit, it’s fascinating to see you react like this. It must be thrilling to be held by someone you love, no?”

Capricious licked her lips as she planted her hands on his back. “It is, Racter, in ways that I can’t describe. If you’d felt it, maybe you would understand.” She sighed before she buried her face into his shoulder. “It would probably feel different to you.”

“Perhaps, my friend.” He looked down at Koschei with a hollow smile. “Perhaps it would.” He then pushed Capricious to the bed and climbed on top of her. “Now, may I have my shirt back?”

“You’d have to force it off of me,” she said, then stuck out her tongue.

“That’s a challenge I’m willing to take, Capricious.”


	5. As Siblings Do

Capricious gently rocked the cup of beer in her hand in a circle, lost in thought. Even though Henry Ka Fai knew that something was wrong, he didn’t approach her since she ordered her drink, which is what gave it away. She barely ever drinks, unless it’s for a very special reason, but even then, it’s not often.

The decker appreciated the privacy, however, because it made it easier for her to sort things out in her head. Even with the loud music blaring from the speakers in the night club. It helped.

When it got close to midnight, Capricious’ PDA beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket to see that Gobbet had sent her a message. “Hey, Seattle, you got time to chat?”

“I guess. What’s up?” she replied.

“Can you come back to the ship? I just want to talk to you about earlier.”

Capricious bit her lip for a moment, then took in a deep breath. “If this is about Duncan, don’t worry. We have arguments like that often back when we were kids. I mean, this isn’t the first time I touched a nerve, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, knowing us, but right now, I just need some time alone.” She had sent the message, then began another. “Is he all right?”

A minute later, Gobbet replied, “Yeah, he is. I went to check on him a few minutes ago, and saw him do some intense pull-ups with a bar that he’d installed in his room. I’d thought he’d popped a blood vessel or something...”

A gentle laugh escaped from Capricious. “Sounds about right. Man, compared to eight years ago, Duncan really packed up those muscles. I remember a friend calling him Duncan Donuts back then, which made me laugh every time I heard it. I mean, it’s awful, but still, it’s kind of funny. I didn’t expect him to become such a tank now.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that big ol’ Gun Show, wasn’t the Gun Show we know now?”

“You didn’t know? Well, it is something that he and I talked about a few times before, about how things were back then compared to now. I don’t have any pictures of him, but I swear, he looks like a totally different person, you would not know! I didn’t expect him to have changed so much either when I arrived in Hong Kong.” Capricious giggled, then took another sip of the beer once she had sent the message. “But that look in his eyes, beneath those goggles of his, I can tell that he still is the same brother I grew up with back in the Barrens. My hard headed, short tempered, tough nut of a brother that I still respect and love.”

“Well, it’s good to hear that you still care about him... I was worried that things would have turned out bad because of that argument.”

Capricious sighed heavily. “As I’ve said, it happens. It was wrong of me to push it that far, even though I was pretty mad too. But, I can’t remember why anymore. I guess I didn’t sleep well, but that’s no excuse.” She sent a shrug emote. “Anyway, sorry for bothering you, Gobbet. Thanks for reaching out to me. I’ll head home as soon as possible, though I can’t promise that for sure, because I’m slightly tipsy.”

“Ha! You barely drink, Seattle! I can go get you, though, if you’d like!”

“I’d appreciate it, honestly. I’m afraid that I may fall off the stairs when I get back home.”

“Then stay where you are, which is at Club 88, right?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, that makes it so much more easier. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you, Gobbet.”

Capricious then closed the message box and pocketed her PDA. She looked up to Henry as he stared down at her with a knowing smile. “Family, eh?” he asked.

“Indeed,” she answered with a crooked grin. “Can’t live without them.”


	6. Comfort

There was an odd sense of comfort when it came to resting next to Racter, one that Capricious stopped questioning a long time ago. Sometimes he hummed a quiet melody, or read a book in a different language, if he wasn’t reading her collection on her PDA, or thinking of a new idea on some paper, even though he should be relaxing.

But then, perhaps it was his way of relaxing.

She may not understand how he works, but she didn’t dislike it. His entire mindset and way of living is completely different from hers. Even if their conversations leave her much more confused than before, there was something that kept her coming back to talk to him.

Whatever the reason was, Capricious simply enjoyed being around Racter.


	7. Experiment

“Pardon me, Gobbet, but I wish to ask you something,” Gaichu said as he approached the rat shaman with furrowed brows.

“If it’s about Seattle and Gun Show, I think you have a pretty good idea about what’s going on,” she replied, before slurping up noodles, and staring at the siblings standing before her.

Duncan holding a pair of bread on both sides of Capricious’ face, asking, “And what are you?”

“An idiot sandwich...” she replied, in an almost regretful tone, then burst into a fit of giggles. The ork could only look at her with disappointment, while eating the bread. “It’s just a small accident!” she yelled, waving her hands to the utter mess in the kitchen, that was the result of a failed cooking " experiment _ ". _ “I swear I was going to clean it before it dried on the walls!”


	8. A Friend Indeed

Sketches of possible additions to Koschei were spread out across Racter’s monitor. From minor changes, to the possible addition of an arm, it all leads to even more possibilities, that is only limited by resources and time. His imagination on the other hand is endless.

In the middle of searching for metal, Racter noticed that his screen flickered for the briefest of seconds. He paused to take out a cigarette and light it up, then went to work on saving his projects. While they were being uploaded to a secured file, he watched as a small window popped up to play a song that wasn’t really his taste.

It was more of Capricious’.

This isn’t the first time he caught her invading his privacy, and as much as it bothers him, she never dug deep enough to take a sneak peek at his files. What she preferred to do, is to remind the Russian basement dweller that he needs to take a break from his work. If he wanted, she could bring him something to eat and drink from the kitchen.

A breath of smoke danced out of Racter’s lips as he opened up a message tab between him and Capricious _. “I’d appreciate a cup of tea and one of those empanadas that you were cooking earlier, my friend,” _ he wrote.

_ “They are really oily, Racter,” _ she replied.  _ “Are you sure?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Okay then. Give me a moment.” _

After she changed the song to something Racter preferred, the screen flickered again. Even though he wasn’t sure if she actually left, he could only assume she did by the sound of footsteps on the floor above him. It was some time until Capricious actually came down herself with a cup and a plate.

She dodged Koschei’s attempts to attack her feet with his limbs, and placed Racter’s meal on his table. “See you later,” she said before taking her leave shortly after.

He will need to change the passwords again, he thought, as he picked up one of the empanadas.

But she will figure it out one way or another, he realized. Perhaps this could teach him a thing or two about deckers.


End file.
